Just when it seemed as though those writing off Terence Crawford as a boring lump of clay with no personality — inside the ring or out — had been vindicated, the Omaha, Neb. native stepped in with a series of right hands that robbed them of doubt in the 6th round against Thomas Dulorme.
Crawford, (26-0, 18 KO), abandoned the lightweight division and dipped his toe in the junior welterweight pool against Dulorme, from Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the unbeaten technician walked away unscathed and with yet another notch on his belt. It wasn’t the prettiest performance, and Crawford didn’t necessarily kill the idea that he’s not a particularly entertaining fighter, but it set him up for bigger fights down the road.
The Arlington, Texas bout (part of a split-site HBO broadcast) started with Dulorme, often a speedy counterpuncher, looking to make an offensive statement by out-working Crawford and pressing forward behind a jab. Though Crawford appeared to land the cleaner punches in rounds 1 and 2, he got too comfortable at times, content to let Dulorme’s offense create openings. But round 3 saw Crawford opening up to sting Dulorme with right hand leads as a few exchanges came about.
Rounds 4 and 5 were, best case scenario for Crawford, a wash. Dulorme had increased his output in the jab department, and Crawford had difficulty finding openings to land clean punches.
In round 6, however, a sort of feint jab opened Dulorme up to a right hand that staggered him to the ropes. A feeding frenzy in the making, Crawford seized upon the moment, landing a right hook high on Dulorme’s head that sent him down. Upon rising, it was clear Dulorme had no legs, and Crawford swarmed accordingly, which led to Dulorme hitting the deck once more.
One last teeter and a few attempts at counter hooks later from Dulorme, and Crawford stepped forward with right hand leads and body punches that crumbled Dulorme into the ropes along the edge of the ring for a final time at 1:15 of the 6th.
With the devastating win, Crawford showed that his speed and power have both carried up from lightweight, and his legs looked perfectly fine. It’s fair to note, though, that Dulorme’s legs looked shaky in his first loss — also by TKO — to Luis Carlos Abregu in 2012, though at welterweight.
Opportunities abound for Crawford, though he could potentially be with the wrong promoter if he wants bigger names at 140 and 147 pounds. Top Rank controls a few players here and there, but Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions is quickly assimilating competition.
Dulorme, on the other hand, has now fallen to (22-2, 14 KO) and has lost by stoppage in increasingly light divisions. Pre-fight, a small deal was made about his insistence on switching trainers and corners, and it seems that he may need greater stability in that area, because physically he has been quite fallible.
(Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
